MINI DRIVER - What Does It Replace In The Golf Bag 

Finally someone that gets it by testing with driver AND 3 wood. Not sure why it's been such a hard concept to grasp for other reviewers/youtubers

I replaced my driver with the 11.5 and was happy to do so. It's always been a love hate relationship. I've played 3 rounds with the mini. One fairway missed and that was just in the rough. To the naysayers claiming a loss of distance....there's no loss of distance when the ball is in the fairway as opposed to the bush !!!@

I did a test Michael on course with a PGA Pro friend of mine. Mini driver, 11.5 lofted to 12.5, a persimmon and a Callaway Warbird 9 degree titanium driver. All same length within 1/2” and we played 9 holes, both using all 3 drivers off the tee. The Persimmon was 15 yards shorter on carry but caught up with roll. Mini and Warbird carried the same but Warbird rolled out longer. £25 Warbird wins and looks and sounds awesome 👏

I have the mini from Taylormade. I much prefer to hit that off the tee than the 3 wood. However, similar to what Michael is saying here, off the deck, there is no comparison, it`s 3 wood every day of the week. But off the tee, I do find I am way more confident with the mini driver. My miss is usually a topped 3 wood, vs the mini driver is still getting the distance.

Michael Newton & Ian Frazier from TXG. Legit data. Only 2 equipment demo’s for me F J B

I would.have liked to see the mini driver with heavy weight forward and adjusted down a degree or two.

Great reviews as as always,played penrith last week for the first time great course😎👍

It's great that you're doing the side by side by side test of all the clubs, but I really wish Callaway would send out samples of the 11.5 degree mini driver for tests like this; at 13.5 degrees, it seems more like an oversized fairway (2W?). The 11.5 would be a better driver replacement. With the high loft and the weight in the back, I wouldn't expect driver performance. For a 3W replacement, I think the TM Mini driver would do better as it's smaller in general with a shallower face.

I love the mini driver. Glad Callaway came out with a new one.

I'd be interested to see the 11.5 Mini at 44.5" long vs 10.5 Driver with 44.5" long driver. Distance and Dispersion difference.

I have a big issue with getting the club face closed on my driver so losing a lot of distance due to a big fade. So, thinking a mini driver might be an option of tee as I hit my 3w very good but would like to get another 20 yards.

Agree - great review

I play the AiSmoke Max driver 9 degree set at 7.5 and 3 wood 16.5, so effectively a 4 wood, thought the mini driver (2 wood) would fit in my bag, but it doesn’t. The driver is so easy to hit, and long enough for me. The 3 (4) wood is 30-50 yards behind driver, which is fine, easy to hit off the deck, can work it both ways, so offers confidence. A 2 wood, takes a club out of my bag, and I can’t justify it. Age 67, i manage my speed as best i can (105 with driver)but it wont be enough to hit the mini driver off the deck, and mini driver isn’t as long as my driver, therefore not for me.

So, I have had comments deleted from some vids for saying why not choke down!!! So, I have got a stiffer shaft, with shorter shaft, so only 1.5 inch overall, same if not more distance, easy to hit out middle and won a major comp because of sudden consistency. Tell me now I need a mini, no, marketing trick, will copy and paste every time delete

I don't have the club head speed to hit a 3 wood off the deck so use a 7 wood. However its a big gap beween driver and 7 wood. I do use my 3 wood off the tee on tight holes, but its inconsistant wouldnt the mini drivers bigger head be a better choice?

Surely a 12 degree driver with 43 or 44 inch shaft would be more forgiving with the added MOI than the mini, evcen better for most golfers would be a 10.5 degree head lofted up to help stop the slice most amateurs have.

Hey Mike can you put the normal length driver shaft in the mini driver head & see how much club speed you gain?? Interested to see if my thought that smaller heads for more speed are the way that manufacturers need to go??

At 13.5 it’s probably a 3wood replacement, would have been interested in the 11.5 v driver

I would argue that the 3 wood is and has always been much more erratic and less forgiving. As probably the hardest club to hit in the bag, I'd be willing to give up a few yards off the deck for much greater forgiveness personally

I just ordered the 11.5. I'm toying with the notion of putting a regular length shaft on it. Interested to see if others are contemplating doing the same. Please share your opinions on such a move. I hit my driver fine but, as a short fellow, I feel like the driver heads are too oversized anymore and I'm looking for something more compact behind the ball. I hit my 3 wood better than most of my clubs so it's not my intention to replace it. I'm just looking for a similar feel I guess??? And it's a limited run so if I don't like it I'm sure I won't have a problem reselling it.

They just bring back the traditional driver from 20 years ago regarding the head size and shaft length and call it mini driver.

how high are we supposed to be teeing the mini? no video has mentioned this ive watched

I hit a 12* driver currently lofted down to 11. I guess Im not most players as I struggle to get enough height and spin on my driver. No chance Id be able to hit a mini driver better than my current driver.

Same test with the 11.5 off the tee? :)

Really surprised by how little distance there is between the mini driver and the 3 wood.

I gained more confidence using a 5wood shaft in my 3 wood g430. But i am tempeted for a mini driver but only if i can be hit of the deck too as wouldnt want to lose that versatility of a 3 wood. How does it compare to the taylormade mini?

A lot of people who couldn't think outside the box if you took the box away. If you struggle with a regular driver then give this a try. If it helps, great, then it's for you. If you really think you need something ever so slightly longer off the ground than your current 13 degree uber 3 wood that you can actually hit consistently well then maybe give this a try but given the extra face depth you'll probably struggle to do better. This is NOT the same as a low lofted 3 wood. The larger head and deeper face make it easier for average Joes to hit off a tee. So many of you are so self centered that you judge everything based off how you would use the club. It's not all about you. Some people will benefit. Most won't. That's part of the reason both Callaway and Taylor Made are making limited quantities of these. Shorter shafts tend to change delivery angles as well as club speed and depending on how much those change for someone they may do better with the 11.5 or the 13. It's not rocket science folks. If you really struggle to think of a place in the bag for this then you don't need it. Move along. I've made shorter versions of large headed 3 woods and smaller volume drivers for years for people and they love them. But they struggled with their driver. Now they have a tee club they can trust. This is just the factory option for that type of club. And if a few of you would shut up and give things a try you just might play better golf with a club like this.

A solution looking for a problem.

Not a fan of the mini driver. For me my 3 wood is not that much shorter off the tee and much better off the ground than the mini.

I really dont see why people would use a mini driver. Its just all marketing and trying to grab quick $$. 1. U cant replace the actual driver because the lack of distance. 2. U cant replace it with a 3 wood because of difficulty of hitting it off the deck. If u r “struggling” with driver, a new driver isnt going to fix ur problem, get some lessons w that money. If you really need help with driver config, just shorten ur shaft to 43’. Helps with ease and confidence. Ur distance isnt going to be affected much because u r probably a high handicap and hitting the sweet spot with good launch numbers will help more than anything. Thoughts?